The present invention relates to hydraulic cylinder apparatus in general and more particularly to a structure for mounting the housing of a hydraulic cylinder or other actuator on a support member.
The invention relates more specifically to apparatus such as hydraulic actuator apparatus capable of operating a mechanism at a remote location by way of, for example, a master cylinder connected to a slave cylinder installed at the remote location, a flexible conduit interconnecting the master cylinder and the slave cylinder. It is known to provide such hydraulic actuator apparatus for actuating, for example, the release mechanism of a friction clutch. In British patent specification No. 1,539,879, and in co-pending application for U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 344,495, filed Feb. 1, 1982, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,632 issued June 19, l984 there are disclosed preassembled friction clutch hydraulic control apparatus which are prefilled with hydraulic fluid prior to shipment to a motor vehicle manufacturer for installation on a motor vehicle.
For the purpose of installing such apparatus on the motor vehicle, both the master cylinder and the slave cylinder are provided with a mounting flange integrally cast or molded with the cylinder housing and disposed peripherally to the cylinder housing. The mounting flange has mounting apertures, or is provided with ears or lugs having mounting apertures, for installation of the cylinder on a support plate or panel, or on a support bracket. The master cylinder is generally installed by being mounted in an aperture in a bulkhead, such as the vehicle floorboard, with an end of the cylinder housing projecting on one side of the bulkhead and the other end of the housing projecting on the other side of the bulkhead. The bulkhead is provided with an opening through which the cylinder housing is passed. The bulkhead is also provided with a plurality of mounting holes disposed around the periphery of the opening, and the mounting holes in the flange of the cylinder housing, or in the mounting lugs, must be aligned with the mounting holes in the bulkhead or floorboard, and the cylinder housing securely attached in position by means of appropriate bolts or other fasteners passed through the aligned mounting holes. Similarly, the slave cylinder is generally supported through an opening in the clutch housing itself, or on a lug or bracket attached to the clutch housing or integrally cast with the clutch housing. The slave cylinder housing is attached in position by way of bolts passed through aligned mounting holes in the clutch housing or bracket and in the cylinder housing mounting flange or lugs.
Other mounting arrangements for master and slave cylinders have been developed in the past for simplifying the installation of such hydraulic apparatus on the assembly line of a motor vehicle manufacturer, as disclosed for example in the aforesaid British patent specification, in the form of a snap ring retainer for the slave cylinder and of a push-and-rotate fastening arrangement for the master cylinder.